Governor of California Gavin Newsom Republicans signed on to a budget aimed at closing a projected $46.8 billion deficit, but many Republican lawmakers say they were left out of the negotiations.
Lawmakers passed the budget on Wednesday after a compromise between Newsom and . Legislative Leader In which both sides made concessions and achieved some victories.
The budget aims to reduce the deficit by cutting spending by $16 billion and temporarily raising taxes on some businesses.
Newsom praised the budget as “responsible” and said it “prepares for the future while investing in foundational programs that will benefit everyone.” Millions of Californians Every day.”
‘I will never turn my back on President Biden’: Newsom shows support at presidential debate
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters after the presidential debate between President Biden and Republican presidential nominee former President Trump, in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
“Thanks to our careful management of the budget over the last few years, we are able to meet this moment while protecting our progress on housing, homelessness, education, health care and other priorities that matter so much to Californians,” Newsom said.
But some Republicans say they were left out of the conversation altogether. Republican Sen. Roger Niello of Fair Oaks, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, derided the budget as “the majority party’s budget.” He told Fox News Digital that he only learned about the budget from an X-Post.
Governor Gavin Newsom joins NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, February 25, 2024. (Screenshot/NBC)
Niello said, “This budget certainly reflects the priorities of the majority party, but it ignores the priorities of the eight million residents of this state, because none of my Republican colleagues participated in the development of the budget.”
The Republican lawmaker described the budget package as “nominally balanced, but not sustainable.”
“It has failed to halt the past decade’s irresponsible growth in government spending,” Niello said. “It has relied on budget gimmicks, drained our savings, and saddled future generations with debt.”
Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones of San Diego argued that California residents, who are represented by Republicans in the Legislature, have effectively been deprived of a voice.
Niello said, “Each senator in California, whether Democrat or Republican, represents about a million people and the voices of those a million people need to be heard in whatever happens in the Legislature with regard to the budget.”
He accused his Democratic colleagues of playing a “shadow game with accounting risk” instead of “being responsible to California’s checkbook.”
An aerial view of the California Capitol in Sacramento, the state capitol. Lawmakers on Friday introduced a bill that would allow a convicted murderer serving a life sentence without parole to petition for a resentencing. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“They siphoned money, stole money from disabled children, and took money from many essential services to fund unnecessary social experiments and pet projects,” he said. “It’s incomprehensible. But it’s true.”
The deficit is set to grow by nearly $32 billion this year through 2023, and is projected to grow even more in the future in the nation’s most populous state.
Saturday’s signing comes as Newsom and Democratic lawmakers just two years ago were touting a surplus of more than $100 billion, the result of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 aid and a progressive tax code that delivered a windfall of revenue to the state’s wealthiest residents.
But that revenue boom didn’t last long as inflation slowed the economy, leading to rising unemployment and a slowdown in the tech industry that has largely dampened state growth. That’s after the Newsom administration miscalculated how much money California would have last year after delaying tax filing deadlines by seven months.
Click here to get the Fox News app
The budget includes an agreement that Newsom and lawmakers will try to change the state Constitution to allow California to set aside more money for future shortfalls.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office but did not receive a response.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
